Main employers' organisation warns of worsening labour shortage
Ministry of Labour disagrees with assessment
Leif Fagernäs
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The Ministry of Labour disagrees with a recent assessment by the Confederation of Finnish Industry (EK), according to which there is a serious shortage of labour in Finnish industry, which has got worse in recent times.
EK Director-General Leif Fagernäs discussed the labour shortage issue on Thursday as he presented the results of a business cycle questionnaire regularly sent to Finnish businesses.
According to Fagernäs, the labour shortage affecting the construction industry is now spreading to other industrial sectors, and the situation is turning critical sooner than had been expected.
According to the results of the questionnaire, the shortage of professional labour is seen as the most significant impediment to growth in production. Fagernäs urged the government to take action to prevent the labour shortage from becoming a "new permanent problem" for Finland.
The Ministry of Labour concedes that there has been a serious shortage in certain sectors for a long time, but that in general, the problems are not much worse than they were at the beginning of the decade.
The Ministry of Labour does admit that the situation has got somewhat worse since last year, but it attributes this to last year's growth in unemployment, especially in Uusimaa, which has about a third of all jobs.
However, in some sectors and in some professions, difficulties in recruitment are an impediment to increasing production. The shortage of welders and machinists is especially acute in the construction sector, and in the metals industry.
In public services the labour shortage in health care is easing, as the number of new doctors entering the profession begins to exceed the number that are retiring.
"These problems have been known for a long time, but we have not noticed any overall weakening of the situation", says Hanna Hämäläinen of the Ministry of Labour.
Some problems have emerged recently in certain areas of transport, such as long-distance road haulage. There are also fewer operators of earth-moving equipment.
Fagernäs feels that the transition period limiting immigration from new EU member states was a mistake, which should be rectified as soon as possible.
"The law makes it more difficult for Finnish companies to directly hire foreign employees. It has also weakened enforcement of the terms of labour", Fagernäs said.
Hämäläinen at the Ministry of Labour points out that work permits have been granted to foreigners in sectors in which there are not enough Finnish professionals. This has eased the shortage of welders, for instance.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 4.11.2005 - TODAY |
 Main employers' organisation warns of worsening labour shortage |
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